Photo Flash: Opening Night of FUSIFORM GYRUS - A SEPTET FOR TWO SCIENTISTS AND FIVE HORNS

Talking Band are currently presenting the world premiere of Fusiform Gyrus - A Septet for Two Scientists and Five Horns, written and composed by OBIE Award winner Ellen Maddow, and directed by Ellie Heyman, running through February 25 at HERE, located at 145 6th Avenue (Enter on Dominick, 1 block south of Spring) in New York City.

The cast includes OBIE Award winners Tom Nelis (Broadway's Indecent, The Visit, Enron) and Paul Zimet (The Room Sings, The Golden Toad, This Was the End), and a motley quintet of horn players, including Chris DiMeglio (trumpet), Lathan Hardy (alto sax), Sam Kulik (tuba), Jessica Lurie (baritone sax) and Peter Zummo (trombone).

In Talking Band's new music-theater work, big ideas bump up against big sound. Five brassy horns and two eccentric scientists leapfrog from epiphany to epiphany. Fusiform Gyrus - A Septet for Two Scientists and Five Horns celebrates the resilience of friendship, the power of music to make us feel like anything can happen, and the rigorous tradition of scientific discovery in a world where scientific truth is often challenged.

Talking Band's original interdisciplinary performance work has been a cornerstone of New York City's avant-garde theater community for 44 years. Founded in 1974 by Ellen Maddow, Tina Shepard and Paul Zimet, the company has produced over fifty new works illuminating the extraordinary dimensions of ordinary life, combining richly textured music-theater with striking visual imagery. Collectively, the company and founders have earned 15 OBIE Awards and numerous other honors. Talking Band has performed at nearly all of New York City's celebrated downtown venues and its original productions have toured throughout the U.S. and internationally to 14 countries. For more info visit http://TalkingBand.org.

Ben Brantley of The New York Times called Talking Band "one of the boldest and most venerable politically minded companies in New York experimental theater." Their production of Burnished by Grief was a New York Times Critics' Pick, with Andy Webster describing it as "a mildly morbid but irrepressibly effervescent lark and exuberant celebration of color and quirk." Time Out New York's Helen Shaw noted their production of The Golden Toad as "the Talking Band at its best in a wistful shaggy-dog tale and soap-operatic epic-with-music." On their production of The Room Sings, The Village Voice's Elizabeth Zimmer said, "Take a holiday from our current woes and revel in it...the show's allusive text resonates with a viewer long after the lights fade." American Theatre called Talking Band "one of the most exceptional theater companies in the country."

The production team includes Anna Kiraly (Set & Video Design), Mary Ellen Stebbins (Lighting Design), Kiki Smith (Costume Design) and Kristin Kelly (Production Stage Manager).

Performances are Tuesdays - Saturdays at 7pm and Sundays at 2pm. Tickets are $30. Student tickets are $20. Purchase at http://HERE.orgor by calling 212-352-3101. The running time is 70 minutes. For more info visit http://TalkingBand.org and Like them on Facebook at https://www.Facebook.com/TalkingBand.

The production is a part of SubletSeries@HERE: a curated rental program, which provides artists with subsidized space and equipment, as well as technical support. HERE is accessible from the C or E train to Spring St., 1 to Houston St., or N or R to Prince St.

ARTIST BIOS

Ellen Maddow (Writer/Composer) is a founding member of the Talking Band. Her recent plays written and composed include, FAT SKIRT BIG NOZZLE (with Louise Smith), BURNISHED BY GRIEF, THE GOLDEN TOAD (with Paul Zimet), THE PERIPHERALS (album available on iTunes), PANIC! EUPHORIA! BLACKOUT, FLIP SIDE (published in Plays and Playwrights 2010), DELICIOUS RIVERS, PAINTED SNAKE IN A PAINTED CHAIR (OBIE Award) and five pieces about the avant-garde housewife, Betty Suffer. She's a playwright alumnus of New Dramatists and a Frederick Loewe Award winner.

Ellie Heyman (Director) is the Director in Residence at Joe's Pub. Her recent credits include Jason Craig & Dave Malloy's Beardo (Drama Desk Nomination; Pipeline Theater), Erin Markey's Boner Killer (Under the Radar), Becca Blackwell's They, Themself and Schmerm (Under the Radar), Adrienne Truscott's This (Bessie Nomination for Outstanding Production; NYLA) and The Traveling Imaginary with Julian Koster (Neutral Milk Hotel), rated "Top 5 shows of the year" by NPR. She is a Drama League Alumni and Fellow at WP Theater. (http://www.ellieheyman.com)

Tom Nelis' (Aiden Grey) is an OBIE Award winner whose Broadway credits include Indecent, The Visit, Enron, The Caine Mutiny Court Martial and Aida. Off-Broadway he's performed at The Vineyard, The Public Theater, NYTW, MTC, TFANA, Playwrights Horizons, Signature Theater, The Pearl, The Talking Band, Ripe Time, BAM and En Garde Arts. Internationally he's performed with The Royal Shakespeare Company, The Suzuki Company of Toga, Laurie Anderson and Richard Foreman. Tom won an Eliot Norton Outstanding Performer Award and a San Diego Critics Ensemble Award. He's a founding member of Siti Company.

Paul Zimet (Dr. Fred Decker) is the Artistic Director of Talking Band. His recent plays written and directed include The Room Sings, The Golden Toad (with Ellen Maddow) and Marcellus Shale. His recent plays directed include Burnished by Grief (Ellen Maddow) and The Walk Across America for Mother Earth (Taylor Mac). His recent performances include This Was the End (Mallory Cattlett). Paul won an OBIE Award for Direction, and three OBIE Awards for work with Open Theatre and Winter Project. He's a playwright alumnus of New Dramatists and a Frederick Loewe Award winner.

Musicians: Chris DiMeglio (trumpet player, vocalist and composer), Lathan Hardy (woodwind and synthesizer specialist, music projects include Hang Kings and Holy Hand Grenade), Sam Kulik (past collaborations with Talking Band, Cynthia Hopkins, Banana Bag & Bodice, Dave Malloy, John Zorn & Amanda Palmer), Jessica Lurie (past collaborations with Taylor Mac, Helen Gillet, Zion80, Henry Butler & Circus Amok) and Peter Zummo (creative artist and supporting character in music and related media).

This project is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature, and is supported, in part, by funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.

Photos by Margaret Cheng