Baryshnikov Arts Center Stages World Premiere of Daniel Fish's WHO LEFT THIS FORK HERE This Weekend

Daniel Fish, the innovative director of theater, opera, and film, collaborates with designer Jim Findlay to create WHO LEFT THIS FORK HERE, a new interdisciplinary work inspired by the psychological and emotional themes of aging and mortality in Anton Chekhov's The Three Sisters. WHO LEFT THIS FORK HERE is set for four performances only, tonight, December 9, through Saturday, December 12, at 7:30pm at Baryshnikov Arts Center (BAC)'s Howard Gilman Performance Space, 450 West 37th Street.

Presented as part of BAC's 10th anniversary season in 2015, WHO LEFT THIS FORK HERE builds on Mr. Fish and Mr. Findlay's experimental work in theater and video, particularly their acclaimed first collaboration The Source (BAM Next Wave 2014), and Mr. Fish's own Eternal (Public Theater Under The Radar Festival 2014). WHO LEFT THIS FORK HERE seeks to blur the boundaries between the two forms, exploring the dehumanized character of big data and the intimate emotions felt by people at different stages of their lives. The work was created in collaboration with three performers, whose ages span seven decades, including Tina Benko, Judith Roberts and Auden Thornton.

WHO LEFT THIS FORK HERE was developed, in part, during two residencies at BAC in 2012 and 2014. Mr. Fish is among a growing roster of artists who receive one or more creative residencies to develop new work that BAC later presents.

"Slowly, gradually, the meaning of what we've been working on began to emerge, and then it became clear to me the primary themes of this new work are aging and mortality," said Mr. Fish in an artist statement. "These are themes that the opening phrase of Chekov's play is replete with: 'Father died a year ago.' WHO LEFT THIS FORK HERE began with a 19th century Russian play, and has steadily, drastically departed from it, circling back to its inner life, and departing again to land in the present moment."

Mr. Fish's process has incorporated live, online, and recorded translation of Chekhov's text; repetition of language; the national debt clock; live Twitter feeds; and a vast group of collaborators including the actors, visual artists, and mathematician J.B. Michel. Lighting design is by Christopher Kuhl, and costume design is by Terese Wadden.

Mr. Fish talks about his work at vimeo.com/128408913.

IF YOU GO:

WHO LEFT THIS FORK HERE
December 9­-12, Wednesday-­Saturday, at 7:30PM
Baryshnikov Arts Center, Jerome Robbins Theater (450 W. 37th Street)
Tickets are $20 and can be purchased at www.bacnyc.org or 866-811-4111

About the Artists:

Daniel Fish (www.danielfish.net) s a New York-based director who makes work across the boundaries of theater, video and opera. He draws on a broad range of forms and subject matter including plays, film scripts, contemporary fiction, essays, and found audio. His work has been seen at theaters and festivals throughout the U.S. and Europe including Lisbon & Estoril Film Festival, Vooruit/Film Fest Gent, Festival TransAmériques, BAM Next Wave Festival, Noorderzon Festival, The Chocolate Factory, The Public Theater's Under The Radar, Opera Philadelphia/Curtis Opera Theater, American Repertory Theater, Richard B. Fisher Center at Bard College, Yale Repertory Theater, McCarter Theater, Signature Theater, The Shakespeare Theater Company, The Juilliard School, Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus, Staatstheater Braunschweig, and The Royal Shakespeare Company. This is his second collaboration with Jim Findlay and Chris Kuhl, following The Source, an oratorio with video, which premiered at BAM Next Wave 2014/Beth Morrison Projects with music by Ted Hearne.

Jim Findlay works across boundaries as a director, designer, visual artist and performer. He was a founding member of the Collapsable Giraffe and Accinosco/Cynthia Hopkins, and is a frequent collaborator with Bang on a Can, Ralph Lemon, and Ridge Theater. He worked with the Wooster Group as a company member and designer from 1994­2003. Recent productions include Dream Of The Red Chamber, A Performance For A Sleeping Audience and Botanica (writer and director), The Whisper Opera (director and designer), David Lang's Love Fail (set and video design), Annie Dorsen's A Piece of Work (set and video design), and David T. Little/Royce Vavrek's Dog Days (set and video design).

Auden Thornton's theater credits include the Off-Broadway shows 'Tis Pity She's a Whore (Redbull Theater Company) and Years of Sky (World Premiere, 59E59). Around the country she appred in The Seagull (Huntington Theater, Eliot Norton Award- Best Ensemble), Heartbreak House (Delaware REP) and Arcadia (Chautauqua Theater Company).

Tina Benko recently returned from Australia where she starred in Toni Morrison's play Desdemona directed by Peter Sellars at both The Melbourne Festival and the Sydney Festival. At New York Theatre Workshop, she played Marianne3 in Ivo Van Hove's production of Ingmar Bergman's Scenes From a Marriage as well as Birdie in his production of The Little Foxes. She received a Lucille Lortel nomination for playing Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis in Elfriede Jellinek's solo play Jackie directed by Tea Alagic at The Womens Project. Other theatre includes: Titania in Julie Taymor's production of Midsummer Night's Dream at Theatre For a New Audience, Deborah Zoe Laufer's Informed Consent directed by Liesl Tommy, Katori Hall's Whaddabloodclot!!! and Wallace Shawn's Marie and Bruce.

Judith Roberts' theater credits include Present Laughter (Walter Kerr Theater); Richard III (Classic Stage Company); The Voysey Inheritance (Atlantic Theater Company); Death Tax (Humana Festival 2012); Medea, The Threepenny Opera (The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis); and A Streetcar Named Desire (Actors Theatre of Louisville).

About Baryshnikov Arts Center (BAC)

BAC is the realization of a long-held vision by artistic director Mikhail Baryshnikov to build an arts center in Manhattan that would serve as a gathering place for artists from all disciplines. BAC's opening in 2005 heralded the launch of this mission, establishing a thriving creative laboratory and performance space for artists from around the world. BAC's activities encompass a robust residency program augmented by a range of professional services, including commissions of new work, as well as the presentation of performances by artists at varying stages of their careers. In tandem with its commitment to supporting artists, BAC is dedicated to building audiences for the arts by presenting contemporary, innovative work at affordable ticket prices. For more information, please visit www.bacnyc.org.

Baryshnikov Arts Center is grateful for the support of its generous individual and institutional annual fund donors in 2014--2015.

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