The Tank Announces Lineup for PRIDEFEST 2022

The Tank has announced initial programming for its annual PrideFest. Every year in June, The Tank opens the floor to a wide variety of performances and discussions surrounding the topics of sexuality, gender, and equality, old battles, and new ways of fighting them. Now in its 8th year, PrideFest will take place at The Tank (312 W 36th St, New York, NY, 10018).

From June 17-26, 2022, PrideFest 2022 will highlight work that celebrates the queer community; addresses challenges that are faced as we strive for rights, representation and justice; and presents new ideas and perceptions on how we define ourselves individually, within our own community and in the global community at large. Whether through unity or discordance, these performances and discussions, workshops and forums, ought to shed light on the dynamic individuals and groups who make up the vibrant LGBTQIA+ community, and help us understand where we've come from, where we are, and where we can go.

PrideFest will feature new work by artists including Travis Amiel, Emily Aviles, Heather Louise Barnard, Emily Drossell, Abigail Duclos, Nathaniel Foster, Ben M. Jones, Adin Lenahan, Jai Mohan, Charlie O'Leary, Jei Fabiano Osario, Sara Pizzi, Alyssa See-Tho, Courtney Seyl, Barry Sharp, DeAndre C. Short, Aika Takeshima, Cameron Toy, Fernando Vieria, Liv Wilson, and x.

More information about PrideFest 2022 programming is below. Tickets begin at $10 and are available by visiting TheTankNYC.org/PrideFest-2022. Additional programming and details for PrideFest will be announced at a later date.

ACE IN THE HOLE

Written and performed by Ben M. Jones (he/him/his)

Directed by Anne Bakan

June 17 at 7:00 PM, June 18 at 9:30 PM, & June 19 at 3:00 PM in the 56 seat theater

You meet a guy in a bookstore-because, honestly, where else are you going to meet someone?-and it's going great. You get on. Except you've got a secret. An ace in the hole, so to speak. It's you; you're the ace. You're asexual. He'll still be into you no matter what. No reason to be this nervous. Right?

SPLIT BILL: CANINE WEDDING / THE BOTTOM'S BIBLE / FIREWORKS

June 17 at 9:30 PM & June 18 at 7:00 PM in the 98 seat theater

CANINE WEDDING

By singer/guitarist Cameron Toy (they/them)

Drums by Cris Neglia

Canine Wedding is an indie rock band based in Brooklyn that makes nice songs about mean things. Appearing as a two piece consisting of Cameron Toy and Cris Neglia, their set will include some songs from their debut EP, Breep Death, as well as new material.

THE BOTTOM'S BIBLE

Written and performed by Adin Lenahan (they/them)

THE BOTTOM'S BIBLE is a blasphemous solo show that explores bottom and femme erasure, and a two-thousand year old book that still controls our narrative.

FIREWORKS

By Jai Mohan

Jai Mohan's Fireworks is a queer, aromantic love story set on a Brooklyn rooftop. Some things are inevitable; party like it's the end of the world, right?

CHICO RARO

Written and performed by Jei Fabiano Osario

June 17 at 7:00 PM & June 22 at 9:30 PM in the 98 seat theater

Chico Raro is a Latinxs performer who mixes opera and electroclash on stage.

LAS MÁRTIRAS

Written and produced by Pablo García Gámez

Directed by Fernando Vieira (all pronouns)

Performed by Braulio Basilio & Fernando Vieira

June 18 at 3:00 PM & June 19 at 7:00 PM in the 56 seat theater

Two crossdressers, Amapola and La Barroca, go on a search for their friend Lila Lamour who has vanished suddenly. They later find out that Lila was a brutal victim of transphobia, so they decide to visit the cemetery to pay her homage. It is in that pilgrimage trying to find her grave that they come to terms with their own differences and strengthen their convictions. What unites them is stronger than what divides them.

DAS SOFORTVERGNÜGEN (THE INSTANT PLEASURE)

Created and performed by Travis Amiel (T/T's/he/him/his) and Cosimo Por

June 18 at 3:00 PM & June 25 at 9:30 PM in the 98 seat theater

Das Sofortvergnügen (THE INSTANT PLEASURE) is a dance-theatre-spectacle about insatiable desires, [in]convenience, and patience. The show is an assemblage of bits, gags, dance routines, revelations, and shared secrets to tickle and provoke audiences. This in-process showing is in anticipation of a full production in early 2023.

Das Sofortvergnügen has been developed at The Brick Theater through the ?!: New Works Festival, livestreamed with Zanni Productions thanks to a City Arts Corp Grant, and additional material was performed at the March 2022 SALON.

PERMISSION

By Emily Aviles (she/her)

June 19 at 9:30 PM in the 56 seat theater

Permission is a museum tour of the artifacts from one woman's queer history. From awkward middle school crushes to moments of questioning and discrimination, this piece explores the empowering nature of queerness. Most fundamentally, queerness can give us permission to change and be who we are, when we are, at every given moment.

ESTUARY

Performed by Hannah Louise Barnard (she/her)

Violinist Allison Dubinski

June 19 at 7:00 PM & June 26 at 7:00 PM in the 98 seat theater

"Estuary" - a body of water where the tide meets the stream - can be a healing image of grief: An intense collision between the salty tidal waves of sorrow and the healing waters of fresh life. Dive into a flow of music, movement and storytelling with dance theater artist Hannah Louise Barnard & violinist Allison Dubinski, as they seek to alchemize their experiences as queer women through the power of humor, beauty, ritual, and lots of fun outfits.

high functioning x.0: a T4T experiment

Created, directed, choreographed, and performed by x (they/themme; ze/hir; fae/faer)

June 19 at 9:30 PM in the 98 seat theater

high functioning x.0 is a cacophony of x's dreams, nightmares, and memories. Recalling 1999 thru 2021, x dives into their subconscious thoughts, breaking the ~4th wall~ and inviting their audience into their reality and truths. This pseudo-memoir taps into history, ancestry, factoids, and falsehoods with discordant soundscapes, fervent dancing, and stand-up dramedy. x is uniquely complex, and simultaneously, just like you and me.

POSSESSION

By Abigail Duclos

June 21 at 7:00 PM in the 56 seat theater

One peculiar September evening, Stevie Sackler-an awkward, nervous girl who swears she doesn't make the lights flicker whenever she enters a room (even though she totally does)-joins the Jewish Student Association of Carolina Southern College's weekly meetings. And, to put it lightly, everything quickly goes to shit.

AT EASE

By DeAndre C. Short (he/him)

Directed by Ethan Fox

Production Stage Manager María De Barros

June 21 at 7:00 PM in the 98 seat theater

Sullivan Whelan, a former Lieutenant, and activist, finds himself dealing with the devastating effects of his discharge from the Navy under Don't Ask, Don't Tell. Being pushed by his partner to revisit a regrettable time in his life for a book deal to save their failing sports bar thus placing a strain on their relationship. Sullivan is forced to reconcile with his battle wounds and face an ultimate decision on how to move on from his past.

BASICALLY CHILDREN

By Charlie O'Leary

June 22 at 7:00 PM in the 56 seat theater

2x2x2: A NIGHT OF DUETS

Created and performed by Cameron Barnett, Fiona Schlegel, Noa Rui-Piin Weiss, Miranda Brown, Aika Takeshima and Sara Pizzi

June 22 at 9:30 PM and June 24 at 7:00pm in the 56 seat theater

"You don't have to love me, just accept me" is a duet created by Aika Takeshima and Sara Pizzi, based on our reflection about the movements BLM & Stop Asian Hate, and after the daily events of resistance and discrimination of the LGBTQA+ community. We acknowledge we cannot agree with everything or everyone, but we have to respect each other's existence or boundaries. We cannot hurt people: hurting someone is meaningless. Accepting everyone's existence is called "coexisting". This piece is made to express the message: "We are totally different, and this is our power and best quality, acceptance for diversity and exploring the unknown is what makes progress and beauty".

"Up and Down in Flames" is a dance-theater duet about the volatility of viral fame. A mythical everygirl rises to cyber stardom before falling quietly into obscurity. Fiona Schlegel and Cameron Barnett use dance and spoken text to tell a campfire legend in which anyone can be the main character and participation is encouraged.

UNDYING WISHES

By Courtney Seyl (they/them)

June 22 at 7:00 PM in the 98 seat theater

BILLY GETS A BLOODY NOSE

Written and performed by Nathaniel Foster (he/him)

Directed by Crystal-Marie Alberson

Performed by E. B. Hinnant, Glori Dei Filiponeand Anastasia Pelot

June 23 at 7:00 PM in the 56 seat theater

What if the weirdest thing you've ever googled at 2 AM suddenly had a face? Billy is forced to confront his feelings around his own personal sexual desire and societal views on sex and sexuality when a stranger on the internet asks him to participate in a slutty wrestling match. "Billy Gets a Bloody Nose" is a new play by Nathaniel Foster that explores the way in which societal norms and repressed trauma can impact the way we explore our own sexuality.

TRUTH, DARE, OR LESBIAN

Created and performed by Emily Drossell (she/her)

June 23 at 9:30 PM & June 25 at 9:30 PM in the 56 seat theater

At a sleepover in the early 2000s, a girl proposed we play "truth, dare, or lesbian." We all agreed...and then no one chose "lesbian." I left the next morning having missed out on not only my first queer experience, but the chance to actually play the game (and figure out what in the world the "lesbian" option entails). But all that is about to change! In this new musical comedy cabaret I, Emily Drossell, am going to present my truths, perform some dares, and delight in the many interpretations of the lesbian option as I respond in song to prompts given by you, the audience!

JESUS 2.0

By Alyssa See-Tho

June 23 at 7:00 PM in the 98 seat theater

RULE OF 7x7: SUMMER EDITION

Hosted and produced by Brett Epstein

June 24 at 7:00 PM & June 25 at 7:00 PM in the 56 seat theater

We're back, baby!

7 writers. 7 rules. 7 new plays. 2 shows only.

Brand spankin' new plays by: Jonathan Cottle, Matthew Dunivan, Tommy Heleringer, Leanna Keyes, Leemore Malka, Emma Tattenbaum-Fine + Matt Gehring, Rachel Yong.

BETTER RED THAN DEAD

By Liv Wilson (She/They)

June 24 at 9:30 PM & June 26 at 7:00 PM in the 56 seat theater

SOUNDING SPACES

By Barry Sharp

June 25 at 7:00 PM & June 26 at 9:30 PM in the 56 seat theater

Sounding Spaces is an improvised solo show by composer and musician Barry Sharp. Sharp performs with acoustic instruments such as his voice or violin and integrates industrial ambiences recorded in airports, bathrooms, building vents, power generators, trains, beer coolers, and more. Recorded and remade into "drones," each sound has its own resonant flavor and reflects both Sharp's enthusiasm for discovering sounds in the urban landscape and-as anyone close to him would know-his tendency to sing with them. These sounds follow anyone living in a city on a daily basis and through this performance are transformed into something alive, cathartic, and even psychedelic.

ABOUT THE TANK

Founded in 2003, The Tank is an Obie Award-winning, multi-disciplinary non-profit arts presenter and producer, which provides a home to emerging artists working across all disciplines, including theater, comedy, dance, film, music, puppetry, and storytelling. Led by Artistic Director Meghan Finn, Managing Producer Danielle Monica Long King and Director of Artistic Development Johnny G. Lloyd, The Tank champions emerging artists engaged in the pursuit of new ideas and forms of expression. In doing so the company removes the economic barriers from the creation of new work for artists launching their careers and experimenting within their art form. From the company's home with two theaters on 36th Street, The Tank serves over 2,500 artists every year, presents over 1,000 performances, and welcomes 36,000 audience members annually. The company fully produces a curated season of 13-18 theatrical World or New York premieres each season. During the ongoing COVID-19 public health crisis, The Tank has launched CyberTank, a virtual gathering space and programming platform for artists to share work. With weekly themed variety shows, ongoing series and evening-length shows made for the virtual frame, CyberTank has already presented the work of over 4,093 artists in over 468 performances to over 20,000 audience members across the country and the world.

Recent Tank-produced work includes The New York Times Critics' Picks Taxilandia by Flako Jimenez (2021); OPEN by Crystal Skillman, directed by Jessi D. Hill (2019); Red Emma & The Mad Monk by Alexis Roblan, directed by Katie Lindsay (2018); and The Offending Gesture by Mac Wellman, directed by Meghan Finn (2016), as well as Drama Desk Award-nominated productions The Hunger Artist (2018), The Paper Hat Game (2017), the ephemera trilogy (2017), Ada/Ava (2016) and youarenowhere (2016).

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

www.TheTankNYC.org

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