BRIC to Present David Lang and Mark Dion's ANATOMY THEATER as Part of PROTOTYPE

From January 7-14, BRIC, as part of PROTOTYPE - OPERA | THEATRE | NOW, will present the New York premiere of anatomy theater. Written by Pulitzer Prize-winning and Oscar-nominated composer David Lang and world-renowned visual artist Mark Dion, the production made its world premiere at the LA Opera, prompting the Los Angeles Times' Mark Swed to call it "quietly seductive," adding "it entertains even as you know full well that something is very wrong with this picture."

Based on actual 18th-century texts, anatomy theater follows the astonishing progression of an English murderess: from confession to execution and, ultimately, public dissection before a paying audience of fascinated onlookers. Through the miracle of opera, she sings through it all. anatomy theater conjures a time when "specialists" traveled from town to town in pre-modern Europe, conducting public dissections of the corpses of executed criminals, seeking evidence of moral corruption in the interior of the human body. It is an idea that resonates today when, out of fear, we assign evil to some bodies and not others.

The cast includes Sarah Osborne (Peabody Southwell), Joshua Crouch (Marc Kudisch), Baron Peel (Robert Osborne) and Ambrose Strang (Timur), with musical support by the International Contemporary Ensemble. With scenic design by Mark Dion, lighting design by Christopher Kuhl, video design by Bill Morrison, project design by Laurie Olinder, sound design by Garth MacAleavey and costume design by Alixandra Gage Englund. Composed by David Lang, with libretto by Lang and Mark Dion. Directed by Bob McGrath. Conducted by Christopher Rountree.

Performances will take place January 7-8 & January 10-14 at 8pm. Tickets start at $30 and may be purchased online at BRICartsmedia.org or via phone at 866.811.4111. The Box Office at BRIC House is open on performance days, one hour prior to the event. BRIC House is located at 647 Fulton Street in Downtown Brooklyn. BRIC House is open weekdays and Saturday at 8am and Sundays at 10am.

A Ridge Theater Production. Developed and Produced by Beth Morrison Projects. Development support provided by BRIC and MassMoCA.

Commissioned by Beth Morrison Projects, Ridge Theater, Justus & Helen Schlichting, Linda & Stuart Nelson, Paul King, Marla Mayer & Chris Ahearn. Additional commissioning support provided by BRIC, Nancy & Barry Sanders and Miles & Joni Benickes. anatomy theater is funded, in part, by an award from The National Endowment for the Arts - Art Works, and by public funds from The New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council. Additional funding was provided by the Multi-Arts Production Fund (MAP), the Francis Goelet Charitable Lead Trusts and New Music USA.

anatomy theater premiered at LA Opera in a Beth Morrison Projects production in June 2016.

PROTOTYPE: Opera/Theatre/Now launched in January 2013, unleashing a powerful wave of opera- and music-theatre from a new generation of composers and librettists. Across its first four seasons, PROTOTYPE produced and presented a total of 130 performances of 23 presentations, shared the work of more than 400 local, national, and International Artists, exposed visionary work to more than 15,000 people, and filled 22 stages across multiple boroughs of New York City. Now in its fifth season, Prototype, as Opera News proclaimed, "has become a major leader in opera theatre for the twenty-first century."

Founded, produced, and directed by Kristin Marting (of HERE), Beth Morrison (of Beth Morrison Projects), and Kim Whitener (of HERE), PROTOTYPE supports and spotlights a diverse range of culturally and socially engaged work from intrepid creators across ethnicity and gender. Half of PROTOTYPE's lead artists to date have been women, and the Festival has presented work from Belgian, Chinese, Dutch, Egyptian-American, Indian-American, Irish, Kazakh, Korean- American, Lithuanian, Mexican, Russian, and Slovenian lead artists.

BRIC is the leading presenter of free cultural programming in Brooklyn, and one of the largest in New York City. The organization presents and incubates work by artists and media-makers that reflects the diversity of New York. BRIC programs reach hundreds of thousands of people each year.

BRIC's main venue, BRIC Arts | Media House, offers a public media center, a major contemporary art exhibition space, two performance spaces, a glass-walled TV studio and artist work spaces.

Some of BRIC's most acclaimed programs include the BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival in Prospect Park, several path-breaking public access media initiatives, including the newly renamed BRIC TV, and a renowned contemporary art exhibition series. BRIC also offers education and other vital programs at BRIC House and throughout Brooklyn.

In addition to making cultural programming genuinely accessible, BRIC is dedicated to providing substantial support to artists and media makers in their efforts to develop work and reach new audiences.

BRIC is unusual in both presenting exceptional cultural experiences and nurturing individual expression. This dual commitment enables BRIC to most effectively reflect New York City's innate cultural richness and diversity. Learn more at BRICartsmedia.org.

Photo Credit: Craig T. Matthew

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