Blessed Unrest's CHASING THE TIDES, OR EXPOSURE Comes to Theaterlab

The award-winning theatre company Blessed Unrest is proud to present the world premiere of Chasing the Tides, or Exposure, a devised solo show exploring how women deal with secrets and expectations that are imposed on them. Performances, presented in part as a Gallery Series residency at Theaterlab (357 W 36th St, 3rd floor, NYC, 10018) will run from December 9 thru 18, Thursday, Friday & Saturday at 7:30 pm and Sunday at 5:00 pm. Tickets ($12 previews; $25 general) can be purchased at https://web.ovationtix.com/trs/pr/1144051.

In this tense one-woman show, combining text with physical theater, eerie images mix with an internal monologue as the writer/ performer Matilda Woods (writing under a pseudonym) dives into a series of events from her life, swimming in the ever-shifting waters of memory. A woman, bound by conventions and expectations that befall her gender, navigates the fluctuating tides of exposure and concealment. When the truth is suppressed, it gains power and momentum. Where in a woman's body does that power live, and when it is finally released, where does it go? What is the sensation? Disquiet? Hysteria? Or something far more sinister? Chasing the Tides, or Exposure is a Rorschach test of a play, guaranteed to evoke a strong response in everyone who ever struggled with secrets. Jessica Burr directs.

Playwright and performer Matilda Woods explains the origins of this work: "This process - a very unusual one, for both of us - began as a series of writings called "body musings," initiated by a prompt from Jessica, inviting me to be hyper-present in my body in seemingly mundane activities -, like exercising, bathing, cleaning. The musings gave way to forgotten memories and nagging questions that have followed me throughout my life, and I eventually discovered that what I was actually doing was creating a space to speak about things I had never given myself permission to express. Some of the material in this piece is rigorously truthful, some of it is rigorously fiction, and yet, in its way, everything is emotionally true and deeply personal. When I thought about the impact this play might have on people in my life, I decided to create an alter ego, a safe space where I can play as hard and as wild as I must. It has been tremendously cathartic and I am unbelievably grateful to Burr and our stage manager Darielle Shandler for their incredible creative midwifery."

Chasing the Tides, or Exposure features costume design by Sera Bourgeau, sound design by Julian Evans, and lighting design by Jay Ryan.

This production is presented by Theaterlab as part of the 2022 Gallery Series.

Artwork: "Ripples of Thought" by Rafal Makiela, courtesy of the artist. Model: Barbara Sklarek.

Jessica Burr (Director) is the founding Artistic Director of Blessed Unrest and a recipient of numerous awards, including the 2019 Kennedy Center ACTF Commendation for Distinguished Leadership, First Prize at the 2016 Secondo Festival (Switzerland), the 2011 LPTW Lucille Lortel Award, and multiple NY Innovative Theatre Awards. Burr was recently named Artist in Residence at Sacred Heart University (CT) in recognition of her work on The Untitled Othello Project. She has directed and choreographed over twenty productions and workshops for Blessed Unrest, including Body: Anatomies of Being (New Ohio), The Snow Queen (2019 Independent Theatre Award for Outstanding Premiere Production of a Play), This Is Modern Art (New York Theatre Workshop Next Door), Refuge (with Kosovo's Teatri ODI, Baruch Performing Arts Center), and Battle of Angels (commissioned by the 2021 Provincetown Tennessee Williams Theater Festival). Burr has taught workshops and directed at The Kennedy Center/American College Theater Festival, Texas Tech University, Stephens College (MO), Eastern New Mexico University, Centenary College (NJ), and Prishtina University (Kosovo). She has degrees in theatre and dance from Bard College.

Matilda Woods (Writer, Performer) is a stage name of an accomplished NYC-based actress, director, playwright, and academic who specializes in devised and physical theatre.

Blessed Unrest is a subversive physical theater ensemble that transforms new and classic plays into channels for unexpected alchemy, energetic discomfort, and complex articulation. Through a dedicated and diverse ensemble, international collaborations, and a rigorous training and devising process, they are fueled by the innate human desire to collaborate, the thrill of the impossible challenge, and the instinctual need to rebel. Now in its 22nd season of generating original theatre in NYC and touring worldwide, the group received many accolades, including four New York Theatre Awards (twelve nominations), the Cino Fellowship for Sustained Excellence, the LPTW Lucille Lortel Award, and first prize at the 2016 Secondo Theatre Festival (Switzerland). The company's work has been praised for "magnetism and electricity" (TimeOut NY) and "physical ingenuity and visual artistry" (NYTheatre.com). blessedunrest.org

Sera Bourgeau (Costume Design) is a New York City-based freelance costume designer. She has worked as an Associate and Assistant Designer on productions at George Street Playhouse, The Mint Theatre/New York City Center, Williamstown Theatre Festival, The Guthrie Theatre, The Santa Fe Opera, The New York City Opera, and the New Haven Ballet, among others. Sera has worked as a full-time Costume Production Assistant on both POWER: Season 4 (STARZ) and THE EQUALIZER: Season 1 (CBS/NBC), on which she also worked as the Costume Department Coordinator. She received her MFA at the University of California - Irvine, and her BA at the University of New Hampshire. Selected New York design credits include Battle of Angels (Blessed Unrest/The New Ohio Theatre), Nickel Mines (NYMF/The Duke at 42nd Street), #yourmemorial (Pigeonholed Theatre Company/HERE Arts Center), and A Midsummer Night's Dream (New York Shakespeare Exchange/The Secret Theatre). www.serabourgeau.com

Julian Evans (Sound Design) A proud member of USA829 and IATSE Local 700 (Motion Picture Editors Guild), Julian oscillates between theatrical and cinematic mediums, bringing cinematic language to the stage, and theatrical stylings to the screen. As co-founder of Audioworks Film & Theatre in Chelsea, he has provided sound supervision for four seasons GZero World with Ian Bremmer on PBS. Recent mixes include One December Night starring Bruce Campbell (Hallmark), and indie shark thriller The Requin starring Alicia Silverstone. Off-Broadway: Desperate Measures (New World Stages), Cheek to Cheek; Forbidden Broadway; Enter Laughing (The York), Felix Starro (Ma-Yi); Tick, Tick...BOOM! (Keen Company); The Artificial Jungle (TBTB), I Like it Like That! (Pregones Theater), Soulographie (La MaMa), Kurt Vonnegut's Mother Night (59e59). Regional: The End of War [2017 RTCC Winner: Outstanding Sound Design] (Virginia Repertory Theatre), Oklahoma! (Weston Playhouse). Cruise: Scarlet Night (Virgin Voyages). BA: Carnegie Mellon. www.julianevans.info

Jay Ryan (Lighting Design) fled to NYC after one too many Rodgers & Hammerstein musicals in his hometown of Richmond, Va. He is a frequent Blessed Unrest collaborator; credits include Body: Anatomies of Being, A Christmas Carol, The Snow Queen (New Ohio), and Refuge (Baruch Center for the Performing Arts). As Resident Lighting Designer at Dance Theater Workshop (DTW), he designed lights for hundreds of dance pieces and developed the Dance and Technology initiative. He has toured the world with The Phoenix Theatre Ensemble, Big Dance Theater, H.T. Chen, Chris Aiken, Karl Anderson, Dan Safer/Witness Relocation, Fiona Marcotty, Nami Yamamoto, Jeanine Durning, Sally Silvers, American Spanish Dance Theater, John Jasperse, The Bang Group, The Elementals, and many others. Jay was Nominated for a New York Innovative Theater Award for his lighting of Dancing Vs the Rat Experiment with WRC and was Awarded the Eva Adamson award for Excellence in Lighting Design in 2011. He was a Senior Designer at Levy Lighting in NYC designing lights for many high-end weddings, Bar Mitzvahs, fashion shows, corporate product launches, and private parties. Recently he started working for Frost Productions doing more high-end weddings and corporate events. He continues enjoying a variety of rich collaborations.

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